Michael D. Higgins honoured with MTU doctorate
Former president Michael D. Higgins has been conferred with an honourary doctorate from Munster Technological University (MTU).
The university said it was to recognise his "outstanding contribution" to Irish public life, the arts, culture, education, and human rights. Mr Higgins received the honour during a conferral ceremony at MTU's School of Music on Thursday 22 October.
Professor Maggie Cusack, President of MTU said: "Former President Michael D. Higgins has helped to shape how Ireland values its artists, its language and its cultural heritage. His lifelong commitment to widening access to education also reflects MTU's own mission to create opportunities, nurture talent and enable people from all backgrounds to fulfil their potential," she said.
County Cllare-born Higgins served as Ireland's ninth president, taking over the office from Mary McAleese in November 2011 and serving two terms until 2025.
During his tenure, he was vocal in his advocacy for human rights, Irish neutrality, and democracy. In the last number of years he has been a prominent critic of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and an advocate for the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
He has since moved back to Galway, where he resides with his wife Sabina and his dog Misneach in Rahoon, in Galway City.
Before taking up the presidency, he served as a member of both the Dáil and Seanad, including a stint as Ireland's first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, where he helped to establish TG4.
He also served as lord mayor of Galway, and was a lecturer in political science and sociology at University College Galway - after having served as the students' union's first president - and in the United States.
Alongside a long career in public service, he has made a significant contribution to Irish literature as an essayist and commentator, publishing collections of poetry and works exploring politics, culture, and society.
The honourary doctorate from MTU recognises the breadth of his achievements and his longstanding contribution to Ireland's cultural, educational, and civic life.